Excerpt:
With the end of
Lewis's Philadelphia training, the chronometer, the sextants and much more
were shipped by wagon to Pittsburgh, the place of staging for the trip by
keelboat down the Ohio River to the Missouri, eventually to really reach
the Pacific Ocean itself. These instruments were amongst the most "high-tech"
items on the voyage, and they had to withstand difficult portages and overland
hikes. Because of Jefferson's concentration and emphasis on mapping the
new lands, their use was a significant part of Lewis's training. With difficulty,
they contributed to the scientific efforts of the Expedition, and data may
not have always been accurate.